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Who will father time come to collect on next?
As harsh of a reality as that might sound, it is the natural order of the pro wrestling business and it allows The WWE to prepare for the future . It also allows Superstars that have given their hearts and souls to the wrestling business a chance to finally rest their beaten and battered bodies, which they have deserved for some time now.
With that being said and another calendar year almost upon us, which popular superstars are most likely to retire and which one's are likely to stay with the company for a few more years? While its impossible to know who exactly will hang up their boots in 2019 and who won't, we can make educated guesses off a variety of factors.
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As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and also be sure to tell us if you think any of the superstars on this list will compete for a few more year or finally retire from the company.
#8 Rhyno
Where the hell has Rhyno gone?
The former ECW superstar and master of the Gore, used to be tag team champions over on SmackDown Live with Heath Slater, but they were eventually unseated. They were then moved to Monday Night Raw where they failed to recapture title gold and have been an afterthought ever since then.
While Heath Slater probably has a little bit more use in him as joke fodder, Rhyno's prospects don't seem as great. In fact, with his age, previous injuries, place on the card, the lack of direction WWE seems to have for him and the lack of TV time he has been reviving lately, retirement seems like the easy choice for the former champion.
#7 Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy has been in and out of WWE for over a decade now and while the company probably will always welcome his star power, there has to be a limit on how much more destruction the man's body can take. Beyond that, there also has to be a limit on what exactly WWE can do with him at this point in his career.
With Matt Hardy gone, its not like WWE can just throw Hardy back in the tag team division and his injury proneness prevents him from being in anything high profile going forward. If nothing else, Hardy needs to stick around until WrestleMania, get one last decent pay day in a high profile spot and move on!
In the end, there are few men that have rose to the heights that Hardy has and there are few men that have thrilled The WWE Universe like he has over the course of his career. With that being said, there comes a time where opportunities and abilities run out, and it seems like Hardy has finally reached that point.
#6 The Big Show
Let's be honest here.
The WWE Universe has wanted The Big Show to retire for years now, especially after enduring his constant heel and face turns, and 2019 might finally be when they get that wish. Of course that's not to wish the man any ill will or anything of that nature, its just that its hard to imagine WWE being able to do anything else with him.
Not only has he turned heel and babyface a handful of times over the course of the last couple of years, his immobility is making it difficult for him to even look like a threat anymore. Beyond that, WWE currently has him working as the muscle for The Bar, which can't last much longer with the fickle nature of the tag team divisions right now.
In the end, Big Show is getting up there in age, he's losing mobility and there really isn't anything else the company can do with him . If nothing else, all those signs point to him needing to finally hang up his boots and transition towards backstage role with WWE going forward.
#5 Shawn Michaels
If we're being honest, Shawn Michaels should have never come out of retirement to begin with. Not only was that evident by his disaster of a match Crown Jewel, but also by his limited use in the build up to the storyline at Super Showdown. If nothing else, Michaels is a shell of a man that he once was and any attempt to trot him out again will be laughable.
Of course WWE might be able to squeeze one more match out of him, if you want to call them that, but it is seriously doubtful that Michaels can or will do anything beyond that. If they do end up trying to do more with him however, its going to cause a lot of fans to turn on the company and maybe even turn Michaels career into a total joke.
In the end, Michaels shouldn't have his career turned into a total joke and continuing to have him compete is going to do just that!
#4 Kane
Believe it or not, Kane used to be one of the most powerful monsters on the entire WWE roster. He was also a center piece in countless storylines over the years, which has only added to the lore of his character and thrilled fans in the process. Unfortunately for Kane, its all going come to an end sometime.
Think about it! How many Superstars can get a big win over Kane before a victory against him means absolutely nothing. Beyond that, how many more times can Kane serve as window dressing in a Brothers of destruction storyline before The WWE Universe realizes that nostalgia doesn't make up for the fact that Kane is near immobile.
In the end, Kane has won championships, competed in high profile matches at WrestleMania, had prolific rivalries and has entertained The WWE Universe for over a decade now, which are all good reasons why he should hang it up sometime in 2019.
#3 Kurt Angle
WWE hasn't trotted Kurt Angle out to compete too much over the course of his latest run with the company and that might be what makes his every appearance so special to watch. In fact, between filling in for Roman Reigns in The Shield last year, teaming with Rousey at Mania and going one on one with Drew Mcintyre, he has been beyond impactful.
With that being said however and father time being a cruel bastard, Angle's not going to last in this role forever and much like The Undertaker, will have to come to gripes with his limitations. Unfortunately for The WWE Universe, that means saying goodbye to one of the best Superstars to ever lace up the boots.
Think about it! While Kurt Angle might be able to have two or three more impactful matches that really move the narrative forward positively for other superstars, there is going to come a time when it starts to not have the same effect. Furthermore, with Kurt Angles immense accolades and money, there isn't even really a reason for him to step in the ring anymore.
#2 The Bella Twins
The Bella twins made quite an impact in 2018.
Not only did Nikki Bella almost eliminate Asuka to win The first ever Women's Royal Rumble, she also went one on with Ronda Rousey and had a hell of a match. As for Brie, she and her husband, Daniel Bryan, took on The Miz and Maryse at Hell in a Cell, which was a huge highlight for the Yes Movement.
Beyond all that, Nikki and Brie Bella had the segment of the year when they turned on Ronda Rousey during an episode of Raw, which would later set up Rousey versus Nikki Bella at The Evolution pay-per-view. In fact, the match headlined the first ever women's pay-per-view and that's a huge accomplishment for everyone involved.
In the end, The Bella Twins have seemingly accomplished everything there is to in WWE and their accomplishments reflect that. Furthermore, they probably have enough money set back and enough powerful brands together that they won't hurt financially. If nothing else, the girls deserve to retire after a decade of hard work and very drastic effects on their bodies.
#1 The Undertaker
In all honesty, this retirement should have officially happened after the match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33, but WWE ruined all that by bringing him back several more times. Of course The WWE Universe didn't mind that, especially since seeing The Phenom in person is an amazing experience, but one has to wonder how much time the man has left.
Beyond that, his matches are getting slower and slower, the risks he is able to take during the match are becoming non existent and the nostalgia WWE can milk from it is becoming less and less by the day. With that being said and Undertaker suffering from a plethora of injuries throughout his career, why not finally call it quits?
Of course this doesn't mean that Undertaker has to retire on the first day of the new year, especially since there are rumors of a marquee WrestleMania 35 match being planned for him, but he needs to step away for good after that. At least that way, WWE doesn't tarnish the legacy of Undertaker by repeatedly bringing him out way past his prime
